Steel and Wind
by WanderingRurouni
Summary: In the ancient city of Xerxes, the Elric Brothers and their long-time friend, Winry Rockbell encounter a group of shinobi from a distant land east of Xing, a land called Konoha.
1. Motives

**An Apology**

A few months back, I noted that I was very angry over the fact that _Cherry Blossoms in the Wind_ was added into a community called "Reportable Lemons."

It goes without saying that I was angry at the idea that my story would be reported when my story was never as explicit as some stories that you could find with a simple search.

Yes, I want to come back to Fan Fiction. Yes, it's hypocritical, and for that, I apologize.

I apologize for letting someone else's actions really get to me in such a way that it angered me enough to make me say that I would never publish anything on Fan Fiction again.

I apologize for that bit of drama that I forced upon you.

And I can only hope that I can make it up.

And after much thought, I've decided. I don't care if I get banned, or if my stories disappear. As long as people have read them, and enjoyed them, I'm fine with that. That's all I should be here for.

Thanks...for reading.

* * *

**CHAPTER RATING: T(Violence, Language)**

**PUBLISHED ON: 7/05/2014(AO3, Wattpad)-7/17/2014(Fanfiction)**

**WORD COUNT(Exposition)**: **827**

**WORD COUNT(Chapter 1)**: **2,746**

**A/N: Any character progression that isn't explained either happened in _Cherry Blossoms in the Wind,_ or _No Longer Left Behind._**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Motives**

_Previously in Cherry Blossoms in the Wind…_

_. . . Naruto and Sakura hung back while walking; they held each other's hands and smiled lovingly at one another._

_Through their hardship, through their blood, and their tears…A love had blossomed. . ._

"_Focus now, Naruto!" Fukasaku commanded. "Keep Calm!"_

_The image of Sasuke's grin as he impaled Sakura with the energy of the Chidori from his hand played repeatedly within Naruto's mind. Before he could recover, his hands were becoming red as he tried his best to heal Sakura._

"_Fool! What are you doing?!"_

_A burst of fiery energy pushed them both back. And Sakura rose to her feet. Naruto stared in horror at what he saw._

_Her emerald eyes had turned red, filled with the energy of the Nine-Tails. _

"_Don't speak as if you know how we felt, you've been gone all this time. You don't understand us anymore." Sakura spoke as her embrace tightened around Sasuke's ribcage. He felt the bones within him cracking as she formed seals behind his back, urging the wind to fly again._

"_S-Sakura…Wait…Please, don't do this! I-I'm…S-Sorry."_

_Sasuke heard Naruto's Shuriken call it's terrible cry, Sakura's grip loosened, and with a single palm, she pushed him back._

_Shielding her eyes from the light that came from the collision, Sakura could hear every single needle from Naruto's RasenShuriken, ripping into Sasuke, before his limp body fell before her, lifeless._

"_Damn it!" Sakura shouted to herself while standing over Naruto's lifeless corpse. "I have to do something! I'm the disciple of the greatest healer in Konoha! Think!" Just as she was about to lose hope, she heard a voice within herself._

"_He's never given up on you. Don't give up on him." The Nine-Tails' voice echoed. "There is yet one possibility to bring him back to life."_

"_H-How are you still speaking to me? You were sealed away by Susano'o."_

"_My physical form may be sealed away, but my spirit still lives on in you. It is the only chance you have left to save Naruto. I am willing to give that small amount to save him."_

"_You're willing to sacrifice your life to save his?"_

_Kurama responded by laughing heartily._

"_With Sasuke dead, and no host, the power of Susano'o will fade, and so will the power of the Sword of Totsuka. Now, focus my chakra and use your knowledge of healing to channel it into Naruto's wound."_

_Sakura did as she was instructed, and only a few moments later, she saw Naruto open his eyes, as they regained focus, and light._

"_Sakura…as I give my spirit to him, promise me that you will tell something to Naruto for me, as my final wish." She heard Kurama's fading voice._

"_Anything."_

"_Tell him…I will be back, and pray for the World. Pray that someone like his father will come along to stop me, and someone like him will come along to control me…for I will return in time." His voice faded as she felt his energy leaving her._

"_S-Sakura-chan…?" Naruto whispered. His eyes focused, and he could see the woman that he loved, holding him in her arms._

_Sakura's eyes shot opened, tears streaming down her cheeks again, she wrapped her arms around him even tighter._

"_N-Naruto!...I thought that I had lost you. But you…"_

"_But I came back." He said with a smile. "I always will for you, Sakura-chan."_

_Previously in No Longer Left Behind…_

_Ed had returned, and she couldn't even look him in the eye. But there was one thing that she could do for him._

_With his limbs still in repair, Winry placed a large metal sheet on the floor, engraved into the steel, was a transmutation circle. She laid down a red cloth on it, and brought her hands to the seal. With a bright blue glow, Ed saw his red jacket form from the cloth she had placed down._

"_Do you like it?" Winry draped the jacket over his shoulders._

"…_I love it."_

_Al jumped onto the rooftop, the vision of a silhouette running in front of him driving him forward. Leaping across the rooftops of Xerxes, he felt the anger building within him. He stopped abruptly when he saw that the figure in front of him had turned around, and was now holding a bomb in its hand, with the fuse burning away._

_Quickly, he clapped his hands together, and created a large pane of glass from the sandstone rooftops. With all his strength, he hurled it towards the bomb, which broke the trajectory of the explosive. The glass flipped with the impact, and when it went off, it sent shards towards the shadow that Al was chasing._

_As the explosion was set off, Al jumped through the smoke, clapped his hands together again, and let the sandstone wrap around the person he was chasing, binding her against the rooftop._

…

The first thing that he noticed was the outfit that his captive wore. Ed had told Al that the people that were after them were from Xing. He knew that the standard armor that the warriors from Xing wore was black plate armor, with overlapping pieces, the clothing they also wore would consist of a hood, as well as a humanoid mask, painted, but almost feature less.

The person he was chasing after didn't wear the outfit he was accustomed to seeing. Instead, she wore a black shirt, with long black pants, and a green vest with multiple pockets. The mask itself was also different, instead of a plain human face; it was shaped like a cat, with a small nose, pointy ears, and beady black eyes.

Within seconds of capturing her, he clapped his hands together and touched the mask, causing it to shatter into pieces. Her pale skin was in contrast to her dark blue hair, but the most prominent feature she had was the basis of the defiant look on her face: her eyes were pure white.

"I…I-" He planted his right foot into the roof, and stepped away. He felt the prescence of another person, who lunged at him, her fist landed onto the roof, breaking a part of it with the impact, and with a single strike, the bonds that held her apparent comrade disintegrated.

"RASENGAN!" He heard another voice come from behind him. Stepping aside, he watched as a man in a black and orange jumpsuit lunged toward him, a ball of sapphire energy he held in his hand crashed into the roof, and created another hole into the structure. He ran over to the two others.

"Hinata, are you okay?" He asked. The woman on the floor nodded.

"Naruto!" The pink haired woman jabbed at his shoulder. "Don't give away our names!"

"S-Sorry, Sakura-chan. I was just worried." He paused, and nervously smiled. An audible smack was heard as she punched his shoulder with her fist.

"Idiot!" She shouted.

"...Sorry." Naruto turned back towards Al. "But this guy doesn't look too tough. I've got this." Sakura shoved him forward.

"Look," Al loosened his stance. "I'm not looking for a fight, I just want to-."

Naruto charged forward and threw a punch. Al immediately locked his feet into the ground; he held his hands out in front of him, right palm forward.

Naruto's fist only met air, as Al parried his arm, and sent five quick strikes into his chest. Naruto felt a blunt stinging that pushed the air out of his lungs. Al stepped back and delivered a kick directly into Naruto's knee, sending him onto the ground, and then delivered a kick that sent Naruto crashing into the sandstone roof like a skipping stone across a lake.

"…He's…He's tougher than he looks." Naruto coughed.

"Look…I just want to talk." Al tried to ease the tension of the situation. "Please. If you'd just follow me, I just want to figure out the situation we're in." He eased his stance, and lowered his hands. "Just tell me why you burned down that inn my friends and I were staying at."

Hinata stepped forward; her eyes were filled with interest and intrigue. She planted her left foot down, swept her right foot in a semi-circle, and extended her hands forward, her right palm, ahead of her left.

Al took a hesitant step back, his eyes widened; and with a smile, he nodded. He planted his left foot down, swept his right foot in a semi-circle, and extended his hands forward, his right palm, ahead of his left.

Hinata smirked, and charged forward. Al did the same, intent on meeting force with force. Hinata was the first to strike, a straight left palm jolted towards Al's chest. He responded by meeting the back of her left arm, with his right palm, and in a quick motion, pushed her away.

Her left foot still planted into the ground, Hinata let the momentum he created carry her through, and attempted to retaliate with a strike from her right hand. Al blocked the attempt with his left; he took a strong hold onto her arm, and forcefully pulled her while stepping ahead.

With quick thinking, she planted her feet into the ground as he pulled his leg back, bringing his knee towards his chest, he thrust his foot towards her back. Before the strike could land, Hinata took off into the air with a back flip. She could feel the wind push against her outfit as the force from his kick passed by her like a shockwave.

Her feet hit the roof with a thud. Within a millisecond, she reared back her palm and lunged at him again. He quickly turned towards her, and met her palm with his own.

"Impressive." Al whispered. His stance eased as he bowed before her. "Alphonse Elric." Hinata's own guard eased. Her hands fell to her sides, and she returned the gesture.

"Hyuuga Hinata." She spoke.

"It's nice to formally meet you."

Naruto and Sakura looked on in confusion. Al leaned over and waved at them. Hinata reassured his kindness by turning around and nodding; Al followed her as she walked over to her teammates.

"Haruno Sakura." She held out her hand, and Al grasped it with his own. He looked over towards Naruto with a smile.

"Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto greeted him with a flat expression, his hand still hovering over his chest.

"Sorry about that." Al laughed. "But you understand needing to protect myself, right?"

"Hey, I could have beaten-" Sakura nudged Naruto with her shoulder. "Y-Yeah...I understand."

"I just want to ask you some questions."

"Sure, ask away." Naruto invited. Al looked around and smiled.

"One second." he clapped his hands, and filled the small holes that were present on the rooftop. "If you'll follow me, I think we can speak more freely in a comfortable setting." He invited them with a waving gesture before descending down that rooftop.

"Sakura-chan." Naruto pointed to the obvious transmutation scars on the rooftop. "What was that?...How could he just." Naruto clapped his own hands together.

"I don't know. I've never seen it before." She looked to her teammates. "Be careful, we don't know what this guy will do."

"We can trust him." Hinata reassured. "I know we can."

...

"Al! Over here!" Winry cried, still sitting at Ed's side, now dressed in a long white robe that she had transmuted herself from the linen blanket she had managed to bring with her. "Ed can't move his arm anymore." Al rushed over as soon as he heard her voice.

"I'll be fine! I just need to-" Ed flinched as pain streaked through his arm, and fell back into the bench.

"Okay, just stay still for a minute." Al clapped his hands and brought them to Ed's shoulder. His face sunk as he realized that his brother's arm would be disabled for the time being. "The most we can do is put a brace on it…I don't know enough to do anything to actually heal the fracture." His voice lowered. "I'm sorry, Brother."

"Don't worry about it." Ed tried his best to laugh off the situation. "I guess we'll just need to head back to Amestris and get this fixed."

"We can fix that for you." Sakura motioned towards herself and Hinata. "We specialize in healing and medicine." Ed raised an eyebrow, and shifted his gaze towards his brother.

"They're friends" Al whispered. "If they can take care of you, why not give it a try?" Al looked back at them, nodded, and stepped back.

"I'll take care of this, Hinata." Sakura nodded and took Al's place. "Just bear with the pain for now." She whispered before placing her glowing emerald hands onto his shoulder. Ed flinched again, as he felt the wound rebuilding itself from the surrounding bone.

Winry stood up from her seat and approached Hinata.

"Winry Rockbell." She bowed with a smile.

"Hyuuga Hinata." Hinata replied with a a bow of her own.

"Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto pointed a thumb towards himself with his wide-toothed grin. Winry smiled as she caught on to his enthusiasm.

"That's all I can do for now." Sakura moved back to her feet. "It'll get better, but it'll take some time."

"T-Thanks." Ed whimpered. He rotated his shoulder a few times, and felt the pain ease away.

"Brother, this is Haruno Sakura, Hyuuga Hinata, and Uzumaki Naruto." Al turned towards them.

"Edward Elric." He replied with a smile. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Naruto replied.

"Alright, everyone, if you'll follow me. We need to talk about some things." Al waved for them to join him as he walked towards another house. He stepped aside to speak unintelligible words to another woman, they saw disappointment in his face, before he retained his smile, and invited them inside.

…

The smoke from the burning building began to dissipate into the desert's night sky, as the six of them entered the room. They could hear the people rushing back and forth from the various wells to the burning building. Al was the first to take his seat.

With his invitation, they all took a seat; on one side: Al, Winry, and Ed, and on the other side: Hinata, Sakura, and Naruto. Al was also the first one of the group to speak.

"We all know what happened tonight." He glanced out of the window towards the scarred building. "And we need to figure out what's going on here."

"Wait..." Ed's eyes widened. "These are the people who burned the building down?!" He pointed an accusing finger towards Naruto.

"Sit down, Ed!" Winry grabbed his red jacket and pulled him back down into his seat.

"Don't go accusing us of doing anything wrong when you don't know the whole story! You son of a-"

"Shut up, Naruto!" Sakura delivered a punch that caused Naruto's legs to give way, forcing him into the chair.

"No! Al, how do we know that these people aren't part of that White Fox society, here to kill us?!"

"If we were going to kill you, then Sakura-chan would have never healed your ungrateful ass!" Naruto shoot back.

"Hey, shut up, orange and black jumpsuit! How someone wearing that could be _remotely_ inconspicuous I'll never understand!"

"_Inconspicuous_? You're one to talk, you red jacket wearing loser!" Naruto and Ed both stood in the same moment.

"Shut up, and sit down!" Sakura and Winry both shouted in the same moment. Each man sat down, but still shot venomous looks towards the other.

"Actually," Hinata's quiet voice came. "We aren't a part of this 'White Fox society' you're referring to." She reached into her back pocket and removed a map, with one finger she traced around an area east of Xing. "We're shinobi from a country called The Land of Fire, among the five great shinobi nations." She rested her finger on a black dot drawn the map. "We're all from the village of the Hidden Leaf, called Konoha."

"Yeah, but there's one thing we can do!" Naruto brought his hands together. In a puff of smoke, he took the form of Ed, and gave a cocky grin.

"Well, now we know you're not them..." He bowed. "They don't change that way. Please, forgive me for what I said earlier." His head still hung low. "And thank you for helping with my arm. I am grateful."

Sakura nodded, and gently nudged Naruto's shoulder, who changed back right away.

"Yeah... I'm sorry too, I didn't mean anything I said, it was justa habit I have with threatening situations. I'm sorry."

"Good, I'm glad we have that cleared up. " Al began again. He looked toward the three shinobi "I knew you weren't part of this group that Brother is talking about." He waved to Ed. "Your clothing is different, the way you fight is different, and most of all..." He looked outside. "Everyone in the building at the time of the inferno was accounted for. Except two others, they're nowhere to be seen." Al looked towards Ed and nodded.

"We didn't start that fire." Hinata spoke. "We were given an assignment by our leader, the Hokage, it was a direct request from the Emperor of Xing, to stop those two from causing any further trouble." She relaxed her shoulders. "It happened like this."

…

_We had just arrived at the train station._

Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata had all just stepped off onto the sandstone ground. Their true appearence was masked, they all appeared as if they were dark-skinned Isvalans in plain off-white robes.

"Keep calm, we don't want to draw attention to ourselves, we just need to look for the two targets. And remember, Emperor Lin doesn't want them dead." Sakura whispered.

"Got it." Naruto replied.

After some time of searching, we found what we were looking for.

"What was the target description again?" Naruto whispered.

"They're under the guise as cooks in this inn. We need to figure out a plan to get to them."

"I've got a plan." Naruto triumphantly boasted. He walked with confidence, right into the kitchen.

"Naruto, Wait!" Sakura tried her best to get his attention, but failed. With his head held high, he walked directly into the kitchen.

The only people he saw were two cooks, both resembling Ishvalans. With a hardy and inviting voice he shouted

"I'm the new trainee here! Where do I start!?" The other two only stared at him as if he was some sort of anamoly. They looked at each other, and then Naruto saw a sharp blade flying towards his face.

He ducked and watched the knife shoot past his head as he fell back, watching it fly past him, scratching his unseen headband, and impaling itself into the wall. With a puff of smoke, he regained his actual appearence. Sakura and Hinata rushed in after him, and halted just as they saw the two cooks, no longer were they Isvalan, but Xingese.

"Ha! I knew it!" Naruto shouted. Sakura and Hinata stood cautiously behimd him. The two Xing warriors stared at the three shinobi for a while, before taking a silent step back and tossing a Kunai each towards the three Konoha shinobi.

_We tried our best to keep the confrontation quiet, but they had other plans._

Naruto quickly brought his hands together, summoning two shadow clones that appeared in front of Hinata and Sakura, and then disappeared as the two Kunai collided with their chests.

They saw panic in the two Xing warriors. With a quick swing, one of them knocked over a flaming brazier, setting the wooden tables ablaze. The other quickly withdrew a small bomb from her back pocket, and tossed it into the fire. It exploded, and within seconds, Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata lost sight of their targets.

The flames began to build, and another thought occurred to each of them.

We knew that the innocent people at this inn were now in danger, so we decided to try and evacuate them.

Naruto and Sakura took the forms of the two cooks and burst through the door.

"Everyone, get out now! There's been an accident, the kitchen is on fire! Leave, now!"

_We tried to help everyone out; I escaped to the rooftops, and tried my best to track them down. But I was stopped._

...

"...I'm sorry." Al interrupted. "I didn't mean to stop you from completing your mission, but someone had deliberately dropped this as we exited the building." Al reached into his pocket, and pulled out the note written in Xingese characters. "It says 'You are never alone. You are never safe. We are always watching...' And I assumed that the shadow running across the rooftops was one of them."

Winry's eyes widened as she came to a realization.

"If you were given a mission by The Emperor." She turned towards Ed. "Then that means that Lin does know something about them!"

"Then it's settled." Ed smirked. "We're heading to Xing in the morning."

"You can't just do that!" Al jumped in. "I told you that they aren't going to just let you walk into the Imperial Palace and talk to him!"

"We can help you with that." Sakura spoke. "We've been granted access to meet the Emperor since he asked for us personally."

"If it's that urgent, why don't you three just leave with us in the morning." Hinata suggested.

"That's a great idea!" Winry jumped in.

…

**Author's Notes:** Some things have been happening that have hindered me from writing. Not to mention the big chunk of italicized exposition. But the thing about writing is, it isn't a 9-5. It's more of "Today, do I have it? Yes or No?" And if it's "No" then I'm not going to force myself to write.

With that said, please stay tuned for the next chapter.


	2. A Night in the Desert

**CHAPTER RATING: T**

**PUBLISHED ON: 7/5/2014(AO3, Wattpad)-7/17/2014(Fanfiction)**

**WORD COUNT**: **2,352**

* * *

**Chapter 2: A Night in the Desert**

"Wait…You have your own private train?" Ed directed his question to Al while they walked to the station. "You're kidding me…right?"

"I wouldn't say it was 'private' in the sense that no one else is allowed on it." Al rubbed the back of his neck with a nervous smile. "It's 'private' in the sense that I created everything." His expression brightened. Ed's smile widened as he smacked his brother harshly on the back.

"The Alchemist from Xing does it again."

The group of six walked towards the small, somewhat improvised train station, the only locomotive that was in attendance had one passenger car with the standard engine room.

"Al, do you drive this thing by yourself?" Winry asked.

"Actually, yes." Al smiled. "I've ridden this railroad to Xing, and back."

"If there's a working railroad, why aren't Amestris and Xing trading yet?"

"They probably haven't worked out a solid deal, I'm sure that they're close to something though."

They boarded the small car, it contained four booths, fit for two people each. The windows were small, but clear, the seats were covered in brown leather that barely contrasted against the black steel of the train car.

"Do we have everything ready?" Al asked. Winry opened a bag she had purchased from a local, and began rummaging through it.

"We look good. Enough supplies for a few weeks." She answered.

"We're all set here too." Hinata spoke.

"Great! It should only take a few hours, so, please take your seats, and we'll be off in a few minutes." Al turned as his sentence ended, and exited the train car towards the conductor's car.

In one booth, Ed and Winry sat across from each other. In another booth, Naruto and Sakura sat across from each other, Hinata sat in the third booth, and the last booth was left empty.

"What do you make of all this, Ed?" Winry whispered. "Do you think we're still being hunted? What are we going to do when we meet Lin?"

"We do what we already planned." Ed held his forehead with the palm of his hand. "We ask him if he knows anything." He took a deep breath. "He tells us what he knows, and we do our best to stop these psychopaths before anything happens."

"We're heading into their country…For all we know; anyone in Xing could be one of them." She pulled his hand towards her, letting his head snap back as it caught itself. With a firm grasp, she looked directly into his eyes. "I don't want anything to happen to you. It could have been worse than what you saw in that small shop." He raised his other hand, and wrapped it around hers.

"I know." He whispered back. "I know. But this is bigger than us now. Our country's safety could be what's hanging in the balance here…It's up to us."

…

_In the next booth…_

…

"Hokage-sama is going to be angry." Sakura sighed. "We weren't supposed to make such a big scene. Let alone burn down an entire building."

"How angry do you think the Emperor is going to be?" Naruto's muffled voice came as his head laid on the table. "Maybe we won't get paid…"

"Yeah…Maybe." Sakura laughed. "We'll have to see where it goes." She looked over at Hinata and felt her expression sink. "Hey, Hina-" A deafening whistle interrupted her, followed by a slam of the door.

Al opened the door as the train's whistle screamed it's call of departure. He scanned the car with his eyes, and walked to the empty booth.

Then he stopped, and looked over at Hinata.

With a smile he waved goodbye at the citizens of Xerxes, and took a seat from across her. The smile on his face brought a smile to her face.

"When we first met..." Al began. "Our first interaction with each other was a battle." He lowered his head.

"It was very fitting." Hinata's voice was light. Al met her smile with another. "It was interesting."

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Al asked.

"It is a style that has been in my family for generations, known as _Jūkenpō_, also known as The Way of the Gentle Palm." She reached for his hand, blood rushed to his cheeks as she took hold of it, her soft hands embraced his, and she turned his hand over, palm facing upward. "Now, hold still." She took a deep breath. He tried his best not to express the worry that was rising within him. "I promise that this won't hurt."

Hinata raised her hand, and with two fingers, struck his forearm, and wrist. Al felt sharp pain pierce his arm, before all sensation was lost. Hinata's grip loosened, and Al's arm slid onto the table.

"You've blocked my chi circulation." Al noted as the presence of his energy leaked away from his arm. "You're family has been using this technique for generations?"

"Yes." Hinata lifted her hand again. "I'll fix it." Al interrupted her, and shook his head with a smile.

"What I suspected was true. We do have something in common." He raised his hand, and with two fingers, struck his forearm. Within seconds, He began to move his fingers again.

"…Where did you…How did you learn something like that?" Hinata's jaw dropped.

"I had a master in Xing who taught me. He taught me that there were nomads that used to practice this style; that they were the original masters of this technique." Al spoke.

"We've heard the same." Hinata replied. "Our family was taught the style hundreds of years ago…By nomads, they say."

"This was a much more interesting introduction, Hyuuga Hinata." Al placed his fist in his palm, and bowed. "Thank you."

"It is an honor to know you. Alphonse Elric." She returned the gesture to him.

…

A few hours passed with nothing eventful, the horizon was stained with orange and red, interfering with the scattered stars against the sapphire background. Al stood and looked around to see his five companions fast asleep. He returned to the conductor's car.

The screeching of the train's efforts to stop rang through the ears of every passenger, who shot up in a panicked surprise while the train came to a sudden halt. Al stepped through the door again; he nodded to each of them.

"It looks like we're stopping here tonight." He announced.

As they stepped off the train, they were greeted by a set of mangled steel rails, broken and shattered; black ash covered the segmented, yet partially whole planks of wood. Al kneeled down into the sand, he ran his gloves over the ash.

"Someone knew we were coming." He examined the ash further. "And they only did this a few hours ago."

"So, what are we going to do now?" Naruto's voice came.

"Well have to camp here tonight." Al clapped his hands together, bringing six sandstone huts into existence. He walked over to the train, and with a clap, created seven small frames. The train's coal supply tumbled down from the steel he salvaged. "The temperature will be dropping below freezing soon. We'll keep warm this way." With a handful of coals, he tossed a steel drum into the sand while removing a book of matches from his pocket.

To his dismay, the only match in his possession died before it even scratched a coal. Hinata stepped forth with her bag of supplies in hand.

"I think I can help." From her bag, she withdrew a rectangular piece of paper with foreign characters drawn on it. "Stand back," She placed the seal on the bed of coals, and ran back to her comrades before an explosion occurred, igniting the fire pit. Al nodded in both approval and awe. Each person took a fire pit, a handful of coals, and an explosive tag, burning the coals, and heating the interiors of the structures with ease.

"One for each of us." Al stated. "We'll sleep in shifts. I'll take first watch. So, rest up."

He turned and sat in the sand. Closing his eyes, he felt four figures split, and enter two shelters.

_I guess I only needed to make four of them_. He laughed to himself.

To his surprise, there was still one presence that stayed with him. As he sat still, he felt her sit next to him.

"I can help you with observing the landscape." Hinata explained. She opened her eyes, letting veins grow from her temples. "For example, there's a scorpion in Sakura-san, and Naruto-kun's tent.

"KILL IT!" Sakura's voice rushed through the door. Naruto let out a shriek before the sounds of stomping followed. Al, Hinata, Winry, and Ed shifted their gazes towards the hut, to see the two exiting.

"…We're going to sleep in that one." Sakura smiled. "Goodnight!"

"You used a suffix in their names, is that how the people from your country address everyone?"

Hinata nodded.

"We address people with certain suffixes to show respect –san, or –sama, sometimes used for friends, or comrades. –kun, and sometimes used to show admiration, or endearment. –chan."

"It's always inspiring to learn about other cultures. That's why I headed east in the first place…Could I ask you a question?"

Hinata nodded.

"How do you say, 'brother' with a suffix?" Al asked after some time.

"Nii-san." Hinata replied.

"…Nii-san." Al repeated. "Thank you, Hinata-chan."

She felt a rush of blood flood to her cheeks before she replied.

"You're welcome, Alphonse-san."

…

A while later, Ed and Winry woke from their semi-peaceful rest to the sound of two knocks on hard stone.

"Winry, Nii-san…My shift's over." Al's voice came.

"What?" Ed shot up to his feet and stared at Al. "Who the hell is Nii-san?"

"It's how people from Konoha address each other. In this case, it means 'brother'" Al grinned.

"I like the way it sounds, don't you?" Winry asked. Ed looked towards Al, and back at Winry.

"Yeah…Sure." He answered. "Alright, we'll be up soon." Al's head disappeared from view. Ed draped his jacket across his shoulders. "Let's go Winry."

"Right behind you."

Just as they exited their hut, they saw Al enter the hut next to them.

"Ed, you don't think that Al has…" They saw another shadow move in the farthest hut.

"No, it doesn't look like it yet." Ed replied. "Okay, let's take our turn at this." He sat down in the same spot his younger brother had. Looking over to Winry, he patted down the sand next to him, inviting her to join him.

"So…Let's see what you can do."

"What do you mean?"

Ed clapped his hands, and laid them down into the sand. With a raised eyebrow, then a nod, Winry reached into her pockets and removed her white gloves. She slid her hands into the linen, and with a clap, a blue light emitted from her palms. With a gentle force, she rose to her feet, and began to remove a clear glass lance from the thousands of grains.

"It's just like my old one." Ed smiled. He firmly grasped it as she handed it to him. "But try something simpler." Winry clapped her hands again, Ed felt the ground begin to shake as blue lights filled his eyes. "W-Wait! I said simpler! Don't cause an earthquake-" He was lifted from the ground, and found himself sitting in a chair.

"Heh...I knew you were making a chair." He blushed.

"Of course you did." Winry grinned. She created another beside him, took a seat, and embraced his hand with hers.

...

Two successive knocks awoke Sakura and Naruto, they looked toward the doorway and saw Winry looking back towards them with a smile. They nodded their understanding, and rose to their feet.

"How do you think they created these?" Naruto asked while holding his arms out towards the four huts, and two chairs.

"I doubt it's any sort of ninjutsu, or any technique that we've ever seen." Sakura ran her hand across the sandstone chair. "It's solid. And it's real." She sat down into the hard "cushion" of the chair. "It's amazing how they can create something from nothing."

"Imagine if they went to war with us..." Naruto whispered.

"Don't say that!" She punched his arm, prompting a weak wimper from the shinobi. "If anyone in their country is as kind as them, the country must be a great place."

Naruto nodded, casting away the negative thought. The sky was clear as he looked up, a billion lights shined in the night, bringing a smile to his face.

"It's been two years." Sakura whispered.

"Yeah." Naruto acknowledged. "Even if he had to die..." His expression sunk. "But if you hadn't, I wouldn't be here today, free of the Nine-tails... All because of you." He smiled as the words left his lips.

"Thank you, Naruto. That makes me feel better."

...

The time passed by slowly, but Naruto and Sakura now found themselves among the golden sands of the desert, and dying embers of the small fire that kept them company. The sun's orange hue had returned, and was beaming with a cool wind that accompanied the early morning.

Naruto's eyes flinched as he began to hear the wind whistle. He looked to the west; and saw sand begin to build. Shaking his head, he focused his eyes.

It was a tornado. An unnatural cyclone. And it was growing larger by the second.

"Sakura-chan! Get them up! We've got to get out of the way!" Sakura shot forward with his voice echoing through her ears. They jumped up and rushed towards the huts of their comrades.

"Everyone! Get up!" Sakura shouted through the doors. "Someone's attacking us!" They all jumped up to their feet and rushed out of the huts, just as the wind began to pick up the structures while destroying the remains of the train and railroad.

They began to scatter, but were too late. The wind picked them up, and after what seemed like hours of being hurled within a looping abyss, the cyclone dissipated, launching each of them in a different direction.


	3. Captives

**CHAPTER RATING: M(Sexually Suggestive Situations, Detailed Depictions of Violence)**

**PUBLISHED ON: 7/16/2014(AO3, Wattpad)-7/17/2014(Fanfiction)**

**WORD COUNT: 2,760**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Captives**

Blinking, Ed looked up into the sky. Still dazed. He was surprised to see that there wasn't a single star, only a bright moon amid a gray, cloudless sky.

Wait. He thought to himself. Shaking his head, he refocused. His eyes scanned his immediate area, and he realized that he wasn't outside among the desert sands; he was in a room, rooms and doors of sheet metal, shelves made from iron bars, a cushioned bed where he lay, and one swinging lamp above his head.

"Damn it." He whispered to himself. "How the hell did I end up in here?" He tried to move his legs, his right gave immediate feedback, but he couldn't feel anything from his left.

"It was like that when we found you." He heard a woman's voice echo through the room. He looked up to find a young Xingese woman dressed in simple clothing, walking towards him. "It was shattered to pieces." Ed looked down to find that his leg was indeed, shattered. Wires were strewn about, as if they were part of a ruptured pipeline, the internal copper wiring burst forth separating themselves like snakes scattering apart.

"T-thanks." He stuttered. "I don't really know what happened, but, was anyone else with me, when you found me?"

"Like who? What do they look like?" She offered him a cup of water.

"There are five of them." Ed said after he took a grateful gulp of water. "One wears a red coat," he pointed to the red cloth that was draped over a chair. "Like mine." She she shook her head. "Okay there's also another woman, she wears a black jacket and skirt. She also has these white gloves." His heart sunk as she shook her head again.

"I'm sorry, but we haven't come across anyone that fits that description."

"Okay, then how about a man, with blonde spiky hair, an orange and black jumpsuit, and a black headband with the image of a leaf?" He saw her eyebrows raise for a moment, then fall back down.

"I'm sorry, but we don't know anyone by that description. If anyone turns up, we'll let you know, now, just get some rest." She leaned over, and handed him a small capsule. "For the pain." She instructed.

"Thank you." He swallowed the pill quickly, and began to feel the haze in his mind grow again, the last sound he heard was her footsteps as she walked out of the door.

...

"So, you haven't seen anyone like that?" Naruto asked the person who was escorting him. "No one with pink hair, or dark blue hair? No one?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know anyone by that description." She answered back to him. "So, you were travelling to Xing with your companions?"

"Yeah, I never expected to be met with such kindness; we were hit by a sandstorm, and even our free train-ride was interrupted…by…" He took a look around. "Ha…How ironic."

Naruto fell forward and caught himself, the air above him spilt as a blade flew past his head. He turned onto his back, to see another woman lunge at him with a sword, it pierced the ground as he turned again.

Scrambling to his feet, he found himself backed into a corner. A man lunged at him with another blade, he took hold of the assailant's hand, and twisting it, hearing crack as he struck his elbow.

The man let out a scream that, surprisingly, brought forth a feeling of satisfaction. He turned the man around, and with a kick, sent him flying into his comrades.

The others seemed more reluctant than before to attack him, they slowly began to advance again.

"I know what's going on here. And you've just made the biggest mistake you could've made." He smirked. "You should've fed me some of those sleeping pills, but too late!" He placed his hands together, and disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

"Insult my outfit, huh?" Naruto smiled to himself. "You better say 'thank you' after I break you out of there." He looked toward the small town. "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." Within seconds, hundreds of shadow clones appeared alongside him.

* * *

For you Fullmetal Alchemist fans, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu" means "shadow clone technique." "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu" means "mass shadow clone technique"

Naruto usually uses it very often, especially in the first anime.

* * *

"Alright everyone! Let's go!" He shouted before they charged head on towards the small settlement.

...

Ed opened his eyes again to see another figure standing before him.

"W-Winry?" His eyes focused again.

"Ed! You're awake!" Ed felt her arms wrap around him, pull him close, and her lips meet his in a warm embrace.

"Where... Are we?"

"We were found by a group of people after we were picked up by that storm." She held her arms out and hugged him tightly.

"My leg is really messed up, isn't it?" He looked at his shattered automail.

"A few days, and we should be back on our feet." She laughed lightly.

After her light chuckle, the room began to vibrate, the walls began to cry as a siren was heard throughout the entire settlement

"What's happening?" Ed started to sit up.

"It's just a sandstorm warning." Winry hushed as she pushed herself against his chest, he sunk back onto the bunk with her urging.

"W-what are you doing?" His cheeks flushed in red as the question left his lips. She leaned in close.

"What do you think Ed?" She whispered into his ear. "We're all alone here..." She pressed her body down against his, and began sliding her hand up his leg.

...

The sirens wailed through the burning heat of the day. Naruto and his shadow clone charged forth, an army of orange and black tracksuit wearing shinobi stormed the metallic settlement, casting a shadow upon the gleaming reflections of the buildings within.

Damn it! I didn't know there would be this many people here! He thought to himself. All of these people must be moles or something! He didn't have visual confirmation, but he felt his shadow clones disappearing at an alarming rate.

"We've got to get somewhere safe!" He called out to the clone closest to him, who joined his side.

"What's the plan, Boss?"

"Reassessment." He pointed down to another small shack. "Down there! Make sure you're not spotted!" Naruto descended, and with a firm tackle, opened the door into the small building.

...

"W-Winry...N-not now..." He objected through his soft whispers.

"C'mon, Isn't this more interesting than usual? You being so submissive... Besides, Ed...How long has it been?" She whispered into his ear. "Just... Real quick, I promi-"

A metallic crash interrupted her advances. Shock and awe dominated Ed's expression when he saw a blonde-haired shinobi before him.

Ed saw Naruto scan the room, his eyebrows rose when he looked at Ed, but changed when he looked towards Winry. Naruto charged at her, and launched a fist, Winry managed to duck out of the way at the last second.

"What the hell were you planning to do, huh?!" Naruto asked towards her.

"Naruto, what are you doing? Ed placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Take a closer look, Edward Elric! You said that you've known this woman since you were kids, isn't something off about her?"

"E-Ed...It's me..." Winry took a step forward.

"Don't take another step!" Naruto smiled, as his shadow clone ran through the door, swinging it closed once he entered, and bound her arms behind her back.

"W-Winr-" Ed tried to call out.

"NO! I'm telling you, that's not her!" Naruto's clone brandished a kunai, and brought it to her neck.

"Ed... Please... Help." Panic was running through his heart, but clarity struck as he looked down at his leg again. "Ed...You love me...You told me that you loved me, please, save me."

"I can't save you... I won't save you." He looked down again at his obliterated leg. "You aren't Winry."

A smile snuck across her lips, and Naruto's shadow clone cried out in agony before disappearing.

"You're good." Her hand passed across her face, Naruto was right. "I was so close, she blinked. I guess you must really know her intimately." Ed blushed at that remark. "And I really have always wondered how it would be like with an Amestrian man…But let me at least ask you…How did you know?" Ed bit his lip. "Well…I guess it doesn't matter." She smiled and reached behind her, grasping onto the hilt of a sword on her side. "You two won't be leaving this room."

"It was them…This damn organization of foxes that switch out their faces." Ed whispered. Naruto nodded while reaching into his kunai satchel. "Can you…"

"I've done it before." Naruto readied himself. "In fact…I had to kill my best friend." Naruto took another deep breath as he recalled the memory. "I don't plan on dying here."

"Quite the motivational speaker, aren't you, little boy?" She smirked. "Very well…We aren't without honor, nor respect. I'll tell you a secret. If you can stop me from ending your lives right now, there's a tunnel that leads out of here into the desert." She pointed to a small carpet. "Get past me, and you'll be free to return to whoever you need to." She reached behind her, "But, can you really do it?!" With a single step, she lunged forth.

In a single motion, he brought his kunai forth to block her initial slash, but found that it was only met by air. He looked down to realize that the blade was shorter than the sheath, and felt its edge run down his torso, splitting his shirt in half, and letting loose a weak stream of crimson that flowed down towards the floor.

The pain stung, but he readied himself again, she pulled back, and lunged at him, the point of her blade running across his side, cutting him open again with a sting. Leveling himself, he brought his kunai towards her, and slashed forward.

She ducked his attempt, but didn't stop moving, with a thrust, she pushed forward. Naruto turned around to witness what he had tried to prevent.

Blood ran down from the bed that Ed sat in; from his side, a crimson river poured freely.

"It's a shame." She whispered to Ed. "I really did like you for a while there." She turned and delivered a kiss to his cheek. Blood ran down his lips, he turned towards her and smiled. A red mist escaped his lips, and flew into her eyes. "You son of a-"

"Now!" Ed shouted towards Naruto. His eyes widened as he readied his kunai, and charged forward. She let out a gasp of surprise as the blade made contact with her spine. They both heard a crack, and then saw her body fall limp onto the floor.

A silence overtook the room. Ed flinched as he held his side.

"We've got to hurry." Naruto removed some bandages from his satchel. "We need to get that wound bandaged. We can do more when we find the others."

"Give me the bandages." Ed held out his hand. "I need you to pull this out." He supported the blade with his arm. "I'll wrap it myself." Naruto nodded and took hold of the hilt.

"On Three, it comes out." Ed nodded. "One…Two…Three!" It felt as if the blade was still grasping onto him as it ripped through his flesh. The wound seemed to become bigger as time went on. A single second seemed like hours. The blade clashed with the ground as Naruto forced it out. With a grimace, Ed pushed down onto the wound.

"I-I've got it!" Naruto began wrapping the cloth around him. The pressure pushed air out of Ed's lungs as it became tighter. The cloth was stained in a deep scarlet before both of their wounds were treated.

Ed watched as Naruto brought his hands together, and a silence fell over the camp. The sirens stopped blaring. And he looked over to see that Naruto seemed to be exhausted, compared to only seconds ago.

"We need to get out of here." Naruto said through labored breaths. He stepped over to the small rug, and pulled it aside, revealing a small trap door with a handle. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." A clone appeared next to him. He offered Ed a shoulder.

"Wait…What's wrong?" Ed asked.

"N-Nothing." Naruto feigned, knowing that his chakra was low, and his body exhausted from bringing back the physical strain of a hundred shadow clones.

"Let's…Let's take that with us." Ed motioned towards the ninjato still stained in his blood. He held out a hand, and tightened his grip around it as Naruto handed it to him.

"Let's go then." Naruto opened the hatch, and jumped through.

…

_Meanwhile...Somewhere else in the desert..._

"You lost your companions in a sandstorm?" A man dressed in a robe with goggles, and a mask asked Winry. "Then it's a good thing we found you!" He laughed while looking back at the caravan of traders that were headed east. "If your friends are lost, they'll be sure to come to us, there's no way they can miss our caravan!"

"Do you encounter trouble while you're on these trade missions?" Sakura asked. "Any marauders or bandits?" she sounded more worried than scared to Winry. As if she just didn't want to be bothered by the appearance of anyone hostile.

"Usually, they stick to the smaller parties, we're pretty lucky!" Sakura looked over at Winry, who returned her glare of despair.

"Yes, you're very fortunate." Winry added.

…

"How are you doing on water?" Alphonse asked as he trudged through the desert with Hinata.

"I'm almost out." She answered, letting the last droplet nearly evaporate on the tip of her tongue.

"We'll be fine. Let me try something." Al kneeled down, and with a clap of his hands, a small spring sprouted from the golden grains. He dug a deeper hole to let it gather. "It'll be safe to drink." Holding out is hand, Hinata handed him her glass bottle.

"Do you see anyone?" He asked.

"No one nearby." Hinata replied. He held out his hand again, she accepted the bottle. "I hope we can find them soon."

"I'm sure we're close. I can-" They heard a siren in the distance, and turned east. "That could be them." Hinata nodded. Al held his own bottled in the small pool of water before capping it and looking towards her again. "Let's hurry."

...

Blood dripped down Ed's lip, and fell onto the brown earth of the tunnel. The air was thick with dirt as they trudged through the darkness. They cautiously walked down the corridor. Sounds of panicked footsteps rumbled above them, creating dust clouds that would blur their vision. The small tunnel was lined with gas lanterns, faintly lighting the dim path.

"Where have they gone?!" A voice called above them. The voice it was directed at was muffled. "I don't care, FIND THEM!"

"Sorry about this." Ed whispered. "If only I had my damn leg."

"Don't worry yourself." Naruto breathed. "We need to get out of here…Let's keep going." They walked for what seemed like hours, the panicked sounds of footsteps began to die out as they reached another hatch.

"Let's hope this gets us out of here." Naruto placed his hand on the rusted iron handle.

"Wait!" Ed began. "How do we know we can trust her? It could be a trap." Naruto stopped for a second.

"Even so, we'd have to walk all the way back there." He looked towards the winding hall that was behind them. "…and then we'd have to try and fight our way out of here." He took a deep breath. "Which neither of us is in any condition to do right now."

"Alright." Ed agreed. "When you're ready." Naruto nodded, and opened the hatch. He looked up into another dark room, and began blindly reaching around for some sense of direction. He heard a switch, and was immediately blinded by a quick flash of light.

"Hey! Naruto! What's happening?!" Ed screamed as the light shined through the cracks in the tunnel.

Naruto opened his eyes to see the front of a boot come swinging towards him.

Ed fell to the ground as the shadow clone holding him disappeared. He fell onto his back, and could feel his wound opening even further. He took a few deep breaths, before his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

* * *

**Damn. I used to manage a chapter a week for two stories, just one year ago.**

**But then again, those chapters were considerably shorter than these. I really want to try and make this go back on a somewhat regular schedule, but that remains up in the air.**

**Not to mention, I'm having quite a hard time with this story arc. But, don't worry. I think I have something more interesting for the final story arc.**

**Until next time.**


	4. The Red Fox

**CHAPTER RATING: T (Language)**

**PUBLISHED ON: 7/19/2014**

**WORD COUNT: 1,694**

****Continuity Spoilers Ahead****

**Both of my Fullmetal Alchemist and Naruto stories have continuity to them. Certain events of both stories are revealed below.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Red Fox**

The world phased into view as Ed blinked. _This seems familiar_. He thought to himself.

"Finally awake?" Naruto's voice echoed.

"Finally awake." Ed replied. "Where are we?" He rubbed his wound, and lifted an eyebrow. "My bandages are gone…and my wounds have closed up?" He looked up. "How about you?"

"Yeah, it's weird." Naruto affirmed. He looked down at his own ripped jacket. "My wounds are closed, too." He sat down, placing his elbow on his knee, letting it hang above his lap. "Maybe there's more to these 'followers of the white fox' than we first assumed?" He shrugged.

"I don't know what to make of it." Ed replied. He scanned the small, bright room for a few moments. "No way to get out of here?"

"I've found nothing…Besides." Naruto rested his forehead in his palm. "We're too hurt and exhausted to do anything."

"You lost a lot of energy when you brought your hands together back then, what happened?"

"You know how I do this." Naruto brought his hands into the shadow clone sign. "I created a lot of clones to distract that entire camp. When I canceled it out, everyone's energy came flooding back."

"Their energy came flooding back? Shouldn't that make you stronger?" Ed shrugged.

"It doesn't work that way though." Naruto replied. "Even if I had enough chakra to do anything, I can't anymore. Something in this room is preventing me from using any form of chakra." The meditation isn't even working. Naruto thought to himself.

"So, now what?" Ed's eyes glared across the featureless room.

"Now, we wait. I guess"

A section of the steel wall slid away, taking with it the light that filled the room into a darker hallway. A shadow crept into the room, and another woman stepped into the light. The two who sat helpless, defeated.

"Do whatever the hell you want. We don't have the strength-" Naruto looked over at Ed's leg. "nor the means, to resist anything, right?"

"Right." Ed sighed in agreement.

"I think you misunderstand." She spoke. "I'm here to kill you, or God forbid, to _rape_ you." Ed tensed, "That was all a misunderstanding." She bowed before them. "As a show of my sincerity, my name is Jun. It's nice to meet you."

"And how do we know we can trust you?" Naruto spat. "That lady, that I..." He gathered himself. "...killed, _obviously_, didn't keep her word. She told us that this tunnel would lead to the desert...And yet, here we are!"

"You thought you killed me." A suit of armor crashed onto the floor. "I couldn't believe it myself, that you would hurt such an innocent-"

"Innocent, my ass!" Ed inserted himself into the conversation. "She posed as my girlfriend, _tried to rape me_, and then STABBED me!"

"I get overzealous. I was engrossed in the moment." She smiled, Ed flinched, anger in his eyes. "Let's be honest. In your situation, I could have disposed of you, but I didn't." He made an attempt to speak but, she interrupted. "You were sleeping like a baby, defenseless. And instead of taking your life, I nursed you back to health, kept you safe, and who do you think patched up your wounds?" Ed's bowed his head in shame.

"We're just here to talk." Jun opened her arms. "We want to know why you have been going out of your way to find us, and attack us. Why did you do what you did in East City?" She pointed at Ed. "...And you, why did you do what you did in Xerxes?"

"You were planning a war!" Ed replied. "I-I know what I saw back in East City!"(1) Jun looked over at Naruto, eyebrow raised.

"We were on a mission." Naruto loosened his stance. "The Emperor sent us."

"Your information was misplaced." She pointed at Ed, "You attacked a small shop that was owned by local ambassadors!" She pointed back at Naruto. "And you burned down a local inn, run by honest civilians in Xerxes."

Silence.

"So? What do you have to say for yourselves?!"

"Then why were we sent a mission by the Emperor?!"

"We are an ancient organization; we've existed since the mythic age of Xing." She stepped aside, and another figure came into view. "We are the Emperor's Secret Guard." The woman walked into the room, and took off the mask she wore. "We are the Followers of the White Fox."

"It's been a while, Edward Elric." A familiar voice spoke.

...

Al and Hinata ran towards the wailing sirens, just as the crying began to silence. They reached a fenced compound that was in the recovery stages of what seemed like an emergency. Their pace slowed, and they waved towards the guards that stood at the main gate.

"Halt!" One of them extended his palm. "Who are you, and why are you here?"

"My name is Alphonse Elric." Al turned and pointed at the black cross on his back. "I'm known as the Alchemist from Xing." He bowed, and turned towards Hinata. "I'm not boasting though." He whispered to her. Hinata laughed lightly at his words.

"And I'm Hyuuga Hinata." She reached into her flak jacket, and removed her headband. "A shinobi from Konoha. We heard sirens, and were wondering what was wrong."

"The Alchemist from Xing?" The guard bowed. "I'm sorry. Please, come in." He opened the gate, and led them inside.(2)

"Alphonse-san." Hinata whispered. "You sense them, don't you?"

"I do." Al nodded. "I knew we'd find them." He smiled. "And don't worry, they're in good hands."

Hinata was uneasy, but trusted him nonetheless.

…

"Lan Fan?!"

"How have you been, Edward?"

"Well…I've been better." He glared at his broken automail leg. "So, is everything these two are saying true?" He raised an eyebrow. "...Or are you just another one of these foxes that change their appearances?"

"It's me. And all they said was true."

"Yeah…Right." Naruto spoke up. "How can you prove that you aren't just liars? Besides, you can't prove who you are to me-"

"Naruto!" A voice echoed into the room. Naruto's eyes widened as he turned. "Finally, we found you!" Sakura nearly fell onto Naruto as she came down to hug him.

"W-W-Wait a minute!" He pushed her back. "How do I know that you're Sakura-chan?!" She smirked at him, and raised her fist. He twitched as a reflex.

_It sure feels like Sakura-chan…_ His eyes opened, a fine concrete cloud formed next to his ear, the same dust clung to her black gloves. He watched her raise her fist again, strike the ground, and pulverize the concrete in a single blow.

"Need any more proof?" Sakura rose to her feet, stepped a few paces back, and formed the familiar seals that he'd seen before. An invisible and abrupt breeze formed behind Naruto, and he rose to his feet, as if the wind had taken hold of his arms, and picked him up. Sakura opened her arms, and took hold of him as he approached.

"Embrace of the Wind." She whispered. He rested himself on her shoulder, and wrapped his hands around her.(3)

"Ed!" Winry's voice followed, she sat down next to him, and took hold of his hand. "Are you alright?" She looked over to his leg.

And he could feel the pit in his stomach tighten, as he braced for the pain that would cave-in his skull.

He waited.

And waited.

But his ears were only met with soft sobbing.

"W-Winry…?" He whispered. "Is that you…?" She held out her hand, and presented to him a small metallic orb, wrapped in a white linen glove.(4)

"I'm sorry, Ed…I should've…" He grabbed her arms, and pulled her close.

"Nothing." She buried her face in his chest; he could feel her tears rolling down his body. "There's nothing that you needed to do. Don't blame yourself." He brought his hand to her cheek, and wiped away her tears. "You did nothing wrong."

"What happened to your leg?" She asked through her quiet sobs.

"Maybe…they know?" He turned her around, and to the surprise of both, two other figures walked into the room.

"Nii-san! Winry!" Al clapped his hands, slapped the ground, and created chairs for the two.

"Naruto-kun! Sakura-san!" Hinata called out to her teammates. "I'm so glad you're safe!"

"Ha, safe, yeah…ow." Naruto rubbed his cheek. "Did you HAVE to kick me in the face?"

"We had to be convincing." Lan Fan smirked. She cleared her throat. "I have a message from the Emperor." They looked at her as she invited them out of the door. "We'll discuss it somewhere safer."

With some aid, Naruto and Ed were helped across the town, into another building, furnished with a table, and chairs.

"It's just like the war council room in the Imperial Palace." Al gasped. They walked over to a central table, and all took a seat. At the head of the table, Lan Fan stood.

"The Emperor has called off the mission that you Konoha shinobi were assigned." She pulled out another piece of paper, and tossed one to each person.

"...Naruto...T-that's..." Sakura stuttered.

"Yeah. That's him." Naruto nodded. "Kurama."

"You know who that is?" Lan Fan asked.

"What are the chances?" Naruto laughed. "I used to be the host for the Nine-Tails. Or, by his proper name, Kurama." He took a deep breath. "But he's not with us anymore."(5)

"Then, you know what he's capable of."

"He almost destroyed our village, almost two decades ago. Until my father, and mother sealed him inside me."

"Then, you know how to control him?"

"We reached...an agreement. An understanding. A respect." He looked over at Sakura. "But Sakura-chan used the last of his energy to save my life."

"There is a group of people out in Xing, they have formed what is known as the "Red Fox Order" with the intent of resurrecting this demon. And they must be stopped." she presented a pleading hand to Naruto. "I ask you now, if you have to, are you willing to bear that burden again?"

A silence fell over the room.

"We're going to bring back Kurama?" Sakura's voice shattered the silence.

"Yes." Naruto answered.

* * *

**A/N**: More information about annotations here…

**(1) - No Longer Left Behind**, _Chapter 3 -Money Troubles in East City & Chapter 4 -Followers of the White Fox._

**(2,5) - No Longer Left Behind,** _Chapter 5 -The Alchemist from Xing_

**(3) - Cherry Blossoms in the Wind,** _Chapter 14 -Embrace of the Wind._

**(4) – No Longer Left Behind,** _Chapter 1 – Return to Resembool_

**(5) - Cherry Blossoms in the Wind,** _Chapter 41 - The Last Uchiha_


	5. Indefinite Hiatus

Hello to everyone who's reading this. As the title of the chapter reads, I am putting Steel and Wind to the side.

I've been frequently publishing for my Avatar: The Last Airbender story, and that is my main focus now.

I'm not sure if I'll finish this at all. It may be years down the line when I have the urge to continue.

To put it in the simplest terms: I don't know what else to write for this story anymore. I'm stuck and don't know how to proceed. I didn't like how I started this "arc" and I don't know where else to go.

I feel terrible for having to abandon this work, but I thought I'd let you know, instead of having you wait for an update that may never see the light of day.

I thank the 3 of you who were interested in it, but this is a story that I can't continue at this time. Thanks for reading.

-WanderingRurouni


End file.
